Dallas Stars Blog

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan expects goalie Kari Lehtonen to play ‘almost every game’ in February

Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen was given the backup role Saturday night, but head coach Glen Gulutzan said he expects the No. 1 goalie to get most of the starts in February.

“You look at the way February unfolds after tonight, and I see Kari Lehtonen playing almost every game,” Gulutzan said. “He claimed himself today — and I could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes — that he is not feeling well. It’s that time of year and [we] want to make sure he is ready because February is going to be a Kari Lehtonen month.”

The Stars play the next 12 games in 26 days with two back-to-backs.

Briefly: C Derek Roy (groin) missed his fifth straight game. He is pushing to try to play Monday. … G Cristopher Nilstorp (groin) is close to returning to play. He is expected to get an assignment to the AHL for conditioning before he returns to the NHL. … The Stars made D Jordie Benn, C Tom Wandell and D Philip Larsen healthy scratches Saturday.